It was you
by ballistics belle
Summary: When two worlds literally collide, nothing is ever bound to be the same. DannyOC. complete
1. A Chance Meeting

Title: It was you

Author: balllistics belle

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own a damn thing except for Kate, Aby and maybe some others to be named in future chapters. But if i did own Danny...well, we won't go there.

A/N: This is my first story posted on fanfiction, and I'm sorry if this isn't very good, but i promise it gets better as it goes on. It's also the first in a series.

Summary: Danny makes quite a first impersion when he truly knocks some stranger off her feet. When the two meet again in a similar fashion, they find themselves falling in love with each other. But will their fairytale beginning havea happily ever after?

'_One day, out of darkness, they shall meet and read life's meaning in each others eyes'-Susan Mara Spalding_

**A Chance Meeting**

Danny Messer did not believe in love at first sight. Things like that only happened in fairy tales and life in Manhattan was far from that. When it came to love, he firmly believed that it took years to develop, seconds to lose and years to forget. He'd dated lots of girls but he couldn't see himself settling down with any of them. So he declared himself a confirmed bachelor and enjoyed romance while it lasted. That's why it took him by complete surprise when he found himself irresistibly drawn to some woman he'd never seen before.

He had been on his way out to a scene and she was on her way in. Totally lost in their own lives, they never noticed one another until they collided. Danny reached out to hold onto her as they crashed to the floor. Landing hard, he took the brunt of the fall as she landed on top of him.

"I'm so sorry." Danny looked at the woman lying on him. Her big blue eyes were full of concern for him and her long blonde hair created a curtain of privacy for them.

"Are you alright?" He wanted to make sure she was alright, though he was sure he was going to be sore tomorrow.

"I'm fine. Are you alright? I am so sorry." She apologized profusely as she helped him to his feet.

"I'm fine." He reassured as she brushed off his clothes furiously. "It's fine." He put his hand over hers to stop it. The connection was electrifying.

Their eyes met for a fleeting second but it was enough. The spark was lit. Both removed their hands and gave another hasty apology. It was too late though. From the moment he looked her in the eye, he was head over heels for her and he didn't even know her name.

Danny spent the rest of the day trying to erase the encounter from his mind, but it was an act in futility. This mystery woman had done something to him. He had never felt like this before. Especially not about a complete stranger.

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought." He muttered as he shook his head.

"What'd you say?" asked his partner, Aidan Burns.

"Nothing." He muttered again. Aidan paused for a moment before continuing.

"So Flack said he was going to round up Samuels and bring him in tomorrow. You want to crack him or can I?" She pulled her jacket out of her locker. He didn't answer. "Danny?" Aidan waved a hand in front of his face. He still didn't respond. "Yo Messer!" Nothing. "I'm pregnant, Danny, with Mac's baby. I know it's wrong but there's just something so sexy about-"

"Enough! I heard you the first time, geez." He shook his head to try and erase that mentally picture.

"What's a matter with you today? You're acting like you've got your head stuck up in the clouds." She closed her locker and then leaned against it.

"It's nothing. Forget about it." He waved her off.

"It's not nothing, Danny. I've never seen you act like this before. Not when you aren't trouble." She crossed her arms over her chest and kept pushing.

"Drop it Aid, I'm not in the mood." He said defensively.

"Not in the mood for what?" Lindsey had just entered the locker room and the conversation.

"Danny's in a pissy mood and won't say why." Aidan informed the late comer.

"I'm not in a pissy mood." He exclaimed as he stood from the bench and slammed his locker shut.

"Yes you are." Aidan retorted.

"Well I wasn't until you couldn't stop busting my friggin' onions." He slammed his hand against the cold metal. Aidan quickly backed off. She knew he had a short fuse and that he was fast approaching the end of it. Danny threw on his jacket and stormed out before he completely lost his cool.

He knew Aidan meant well but he couldn't admit to her that he was daydreaming about some woman he had been with for a whole three minutes. Then she'd really give him hell. No, it was best to just never speak of her and forget the whole thing ever happened.

Resigned, he headed straight home to his apartment to sleep the day off his mind.


	2. Business as usual

**It was you**

_Class has now begun in murder 101. - Wallflowers, Murder 101_

**Business as Usual**

Aidan felt bad. Danny had obviously wanted to be left alone last night and she shouldn't have been so noisy. But she had just never seen him look like that before. He almost seemed….love struck. She quickly dismissed the thought. Danny Messer did not get love struck. Even when he had a girlfriend he was never like this. And as far as she knew he wasn't involved with anyone at the moment. Maybe he had just met someone new. But he would have told her if there was someone new, wouldn't he? He'd never hidden a girlfriend from her before, why would he start now?...

Aidan shook her head vigorously. She was letting her mind run away from her. Why should she care if Danny had a new girlfriend anyways? She wasn't his mother. His love life was none of her business. Sighing and shaking her head one last time, Aidan left the locker room and headed over to the break room. Already in there was the man himself.

Danny was at the counter making his coffee when she entered. He acknowledged her with a nod before returning to his task. Aidan walked over to the fridge and grabbed a little carton of orange juice and then sat down at the table. She opened it and took a long drink before beginning her apology.

"Danny, I wanted to say I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have tried to pry into your personal life. If you don't want me to know, that's your right." She said sincerely. Danny now joined her at the table.

"Apology accepted. It really was nothing Aid." He gave her that smile of his and she couldn't help but smile back. Of course, Don Flack just had to choose that moment to walk in.

"Aw, did you two kiss and make up? That's so sweet." The detective put his hand over his chest as he spoke in his own sickly sweet voice. Aidan threw her empty juice carton at him while Danny just ignored the statement and got straight down to business.

"You haul Samuels in yet?" Don threw the garbage back at Aidan before walking over to the coffee pot.

"He's downstairs waiting as we speak." He poured himself a cup and then leaned against the counter.

"You talk to him yet?" Danny finished the last of his liquid caffeine and tossed the empty cup in the trash.

"I was waiting on you two."

"Aw, aren't you thoughtful?" Aidan touched his shoulder as she walked past.

"What can I say? I'm just a nice guy." Flack gave her a million dollar smile as all three left the break room and headed downstairs.

The suspect was seated in one of three interrogation. The threesome spilt up; Danny with the suspect; Aidan and Don in the observation room.

"How are you holding up Mr. Samuels?" Danny sat down across from the other man at the table. The others watched from behind the glass.

"I'm stable, Detective." David Samuels was a handsome middle aged man with just a touch of salt and pepper in his sideburns. He sat up totally straight with his hands folded in front of him on the table.

"Mr. Samuels-"

"Please, call me David."

"Alright, David, I got to admit that in all my years, I've never heard a man say he's stable after finding his wife murdered. Most widowers I see are a wreck. But you, you look like you were just unwrapped. You're pristine." Each sentence that Danny spoke was accented with hand movement.

"I see no use in wallowing in grief or misery. Yes, I loved my wife but she is dead and there is nothing I can do to change that fact." Unlike Danny, David's voice never changed pitch and did not reflect any emotion.

"Oh but there is something you can do, David. You can tell me what you know, starting with why you didn't have a drop of blood on you, while Charlotte was covered in it? Why didn't you touch her?" Danny leaned across the table and looked up at the suspect.

"Charlotte was obviously dead. There was nothing I could do for her. So I called the police." David explained.

"I find that hard to believe Dave. 'Cause if it was me, and I found my wife like that, I'd touch her; feel for a pulse maybe pull her into my arms and hold her." David tilted his head.

"Are you married, Detective?"

"No." Danny leaned back as David smiled.

"Then you wouldn't understand. You see, Charlotte hasn't let me touch her in years. So how could I shoot her?" He posed the question, finally showing some emotion.

"You don't have to touch someone to shoot 'em. In fact, I can prove that she was shot from a distance. I can also prove that you did it." David shook his head.

"If I had shot my wife, I would have blood spatter on me. You said I was clean." Samuels defended. Danny raised a finger in warning.

"I said you didn't have any blood on you. I never said anything about GSR."

"GSR?"

"Gun shot residue! The stuff I found all over your hands and shirt. You shot your wife, David. She sat at her vanity and you shot her in the back. You didn't even have the guts to look her in the eye." Danny wasn't yelling, but it was awful close to it.

"If you had to live with her constant nagging and nonstop complaining, you would have done it too. The woman never shut up. Nothing I ever did was good enough for her. I couldn't take it anymore! I just wanted some peace and quiet. So I took the gun out of the gun safe and I shot her. And finally, it was silent." David had gone from raging mad to deathly calm in ten seconds flat.

"Well Mr. Samuels, you'll have plenty of peace and quiet where you're going." Danny waved in the officer who cuffed Samuels and hauled him away. Leaning back in his chair, he felt satisfied by the fact that another murderer was off the streets. But deep down, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. If love was supposed to conquer all, how come it never seems to be able to conquer death?

"You found it! Oh my god, that's amazing!" The young woman sitting in front of Mac jumped out of her seat and into his arms.

"The perp was foolish enough to use your cell phone. It didn't take long to catch him then." Once the initial shock wore off, he welcomed her embrace.

"Thank you so much, Mac. How can I repay you?" She asked as she stepped back.

"You'll do no such thing, Katharyne. I was just doing my job." Mac said sincerely. Katharyne looked at him skeptically.

"At least let me take you to dinner. My daddy would kill me if I didn't." She gave him the pleading puppy dog eyes and Mac couldn't say no.

"Alright, just give me a few minutes to finish up. Why don't you wait for me downstairs?" Katharyne gave him one more hug before hurrying off.

Danny had his nose buried in his report when he stepped off the elevator. He had worked all afternoon perfecting the Samuels report. With the end of the day fast approaching, he wanted to give Mac the file so he could head out.

The two strangers were so engrossed in their own worlds, neither registered the others presence until their hands just barely touched.

"I'm sorry." Katharyne stopped and turned around.

"Don't worry about it…." Danny's voice trailed off as he realized who was standing in front of him. Tripping over his words, he finally managed to put a sentence together.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Her easy laughter filled the hallway. Danny immediately fell in love with it. He held out his hand to her. "I'm Danny Messer." She took it and shook it gently.

"Katharyne Baker." The gorgeous southern lilt of her voice captured his attention.

"Well Katharyne, can I buy you a drink to make up for the collisions?" He asked hopefully. She looked at him regretfully.

"I already have plans for tonight. But maybe some other time?" Katharyne bit her bottom lip, hoping she didn't crush him too much. The two had just exchanged numbers when Mac arrived to take her away. All Danny could do was watch her walk out of his life again.


	3. A Heated Debate

**A Heated Debate**

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since i updated, writers block has plagued me lately and it's driving me crazy! But as a reward for your patience, I'll post two chapters today.

_A taste of honey is worse than none at all. - Smokey Robinson, I Second That Emotion_

This was ridiculous. At first it had been nice, maybe even cute. Then it was nerve wracking. But now, it was just plain silly. For three days now, Katharynes' number had been burning a hole in Danny's pocket. Day and night, his mind debated whether or not he should call her. The logical scientist part of his brain told him to call her. He wanted to, so what was the problem?

The problem lay in the hormone dominated, male ego part of his mind. She had turned him down before. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice…… She had his number as well, so he should just wait for her to call him. That way he would know that she was really interested. So wait he did. But the mere existence of it was slowly torturing him. It constantly invaded his thoughts, both on and off the job, and left him totally distracted. His behavior did not go unnoticed.

Stella had seen Danny sulking around the lab and talked to Aidan, who she knew was closest to him and would know what was going on. The other woman was concerned as well, but just as in the dark on their co-workers' current state of mind.

Watching him more closely, Stella had her suspicions but she needed evidence to prove her theory.

The perfect opportunity presented itself a few days later, when she walked into the break room and found Danny staring at his cell phone on the table.

"Hey Danny." He responded with silence. Stella grabbed a soda from the fridge and opened it before taking a seat next to him at the table. He was so wrapped up in his own world, he didn't even notice. " Τι η κόλαση είναι το πρόβλημά σας Danny;

?" His head shot up. Knowing she had his attention, she continued. "What the hell is your problem Danny?" He gave a humorless laugh.

"It sounded better in Greek." He muttered. She shrugged.

"Everything does." She winked and gave him a little shove. "Come on Danny, talk to me." He sighed and finally gave in.

"I'm having a heated mental debate and so far, I'm losing."

"What are you debating?" Stella asked.

"This," He handed her a piece of paper.

"Ah, I presume this belongs to some beautiful woman." A phone number was written delicately on the scrap of paper.

"Beautiful doesn't begin to describe her. She's absolutely gorgeous."

"So why so much turmoil?" She asked, not really seeing what the problem was. Danny had never had a problem with woman before and it was hard for her to believe he would develop one now.

"I've only known the woman a whole ten minutes." Danny exclaimed, almost exasperated. "Oh but Stel, in those ten minutes, that woman did something to me that no one had ever done." He couldn't even begin to describe the feeling in the air when she was around. Stella just smiled as she gave him the paper back.

"Sounds like you just won the debate." She rose from her chair and left the room, leaving Danny alone. With new found confidence, he dialed.

"Hi, Katharyne? It's Danny Messer. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"


	4. No white horses

**No White Horses**

A/N: Here's the second chapter I promised. I did take some creative license with Danny's family but only because CBS doesn't give you enough. And oh yes, we get to meet the infamous Aby.

"_Did my heart love 'til now? For swear it sight, for I ne'er saw true beauty 'til this night."- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. _

Katharyne was nervous. Danny and she had agreed to meet at the bar near the station. From there, they were going to some restaurant he knew of in Greenwich Village.

The butterflies in her stomach felt more like bumble bees as she sat in the back of the cab. She had told herself that he was just like any other guy and that she wouldn't care if he called. But when he did, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She mentally scolded herself for acting like such a schoolgirl with a crush but… her heart praised her feeling the way she did.

For so long she had dated losers and abusers that never ended well and it left her with a tainted outlook on herself. She avoided dating at all cost for fear of more pain, but there was something about the way Danny looked at her that made her take the chance.

Katharyne stood outside the bar for a good five minutes, trying to work up the courage to go in. She could see Danny sitting at the bar, twirling his drink. And boy did he look good. Taking a deep breath, she strolled up to him.

"Is that seat taken?" She gestured to the stool next to him as she spoke.

"No, go ahead." He glanced at her quickly before doing a double take. Words totally escaped him as he took her in. "You look amazing." Was all he could manage to say but it didn't do her justice. His comment made her blush.

She wore a sage green strapless sundress with matching heeled sandals. Her long blonde hair was pulled away from her face with a silk headband.

"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself." Katharyne smiled and winked. With his mind fully functioning again, Danny slid down off his stool to stand next to her.

"Are you ready to go to dinner?" He gestured towards the door. She smiled and nodded.

"Lead on."

Caprice was a little hole in the wall Italian restaurant deep in the heart of Greenwich Village. Candlelit booths lined the dark wood walls and red checkered linens graced the tables.

Danny and Katharyne sat at a booth towards the back. Dim candles cast pale shadows across their faces.

"I can't believe you called." Katharyne admitted as she sipped her wine.

"I can't believe you answered." He replied, making her laugh.

"I'm really glad I did. It's not often that I can say a guy literally knocked me off my feet the first time we met." She could see him start to apologize and cut him off. "Don't even think about it Danny Messer. It's a sign of weakness." He shook his head.

"You sound like my boss….speaking of which, how do you know Mac?"

"Oh, he's an old friend of my fathers'. They served together in Beirut. He's real protective of me. I guess I'm kind of the little sister/daughter he never had." Katharyne shrugged innocently while Danny mentally winced. He would have to fall for the one girl that Mac would kick his ass for. "So Mac's your boss huh? That must make you a cop."

"Criminalist actually." She looked at him blankly. "It's a kind of cop. We do forensic science." That still didn't register with her. "I'm a CSI."

"Oh, now I know. You have to forgive me, Danny. I'm just a simple southern girl." She put her hand over her heart as she spoke.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that you weren't from around here."

"Gee, what gave me away?" She said sarcastically as she thickened her accent. "I'm from a little town outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. A true southern belle if you will. But I'm sure you don't want to talk about me all night. Trust me, I'm not that interesting." Laughter flowed easily between the two. "So let's talk about you Danny Messer. What makes you tick?" Katharyne tilted her head to analyze him.

"Well, I'm a born and raised New York Italian which translates to a big family." Danny sipped his wine.

"How big?" She dared to ask.

"I'm one of six kids." Her eyes bugged out as she choked a little on her wine.

"Six?"

"Yeah, three girls, three boys. Ava, Michael, Adrianna, Louie, me and Giada. Plus my parents and all my siblings families and, well, lets just say it makes for an expensive Christmas." He laughed at her shocked expression.

"I'm gonna have to get you to write that down, that's incredible. Growing up, it was just daddy, Jack, Leigha and I."

"What about your mom?" He watched her tense a little as she struggled to answer.

"Mama wasn't around much." Danny could tell the subject made her uncomfortable, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Well Kate, can I call you Kate?" She nodded, grateful that he didn't push her. "Well Kate, you know what I do for a living, how about you? What do you do? Wait, let me guess….you're an actress on Broadway….no no a model on the New York fashion scene." She laughed.

"You're sweet Danny but totally off base. I'm a trauma nurse over at Our Lady of Grace."

"A nurse huh? Well how 'bout that. We're both in the life saving business." Danny sat back on his side, almost looking smug. Kate sat back too.

"I guess we are." Their food arrived and the two chatted on about everything and nothing until they were through.

After dinner, they walked around the village, window browsing and talking some more. As midnight drew closer, Danny brought Kate back to her apartment.

"I had a really good time tonight." They stood out on the stoop to her building, bathed in the pale light of the street lamp.

"So did I. Maybe we could go out again sometime?" Danny threw the idea out there, praying for the response he wanted.

"I'd like that." Prayer answered. Not wanting to overstep any boundaries, he leaned down and softly kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight Kate." He walked away, leaving her standing on the stoop, touching her cheek. She watched until the darkness swallowed him up and then ran inside and up to her apartment, where her roommate and best friend, Abygale, was waiting.

"Alright, slip." Aby asked as soon as Kate entered the apartment.

"Oh Abs, it's horrible." Kate collapsed against the front door.

"What? I thought you said he was charming and funny and really good looking?" Aby was totally confused. Kate couldn't stop raving about this guy early.

"That's the problem. He's all those things and more. I've never met a guy like him before. He's sweet and caring and it's just so easy to talk to him." Kate trudged over to the couch and flopped down next to her friend. "Talk me out of this."

"Sorry girl, you're in too deep." Aby gave her a sad smile.

"Telling me you're joking." Kate begged. Aby shook her head.

"I never joke when hearts are involved." Aby put a hand on her friends knee.

"This isn't happening." Kate groaned.

"Love happens whether you want it to or not Kate. Quit trying to control it." Kate just looked her.

"When did you get so damn smart?"

"I'm just naturally this good." Aby bragged. Kate smacked her with a pillow.

"Sometimes I don't know what's worse, your ego or your personality." Aby muttered something under her breath. "Do I dare ask?"

"I wouldn't." Kate just shook her head as she walked to her bedroom. Once her teeth were brushed and her pajamas were on, she crawled into bed and thanked her lucky star that God brought Danny into her life.


	5. Stubborn

**Stubborn**

A/N: I skipped ahead a little in time, but I had to to keep the story moving smoothly. I once again took some creative license because they don't give me a lot of background.

_'Best friends are the people that know everything about you and still put up with you.'- Unknown_

"Here's a toast, to what we were so recently." Kate proposed. Danny lifted his glass to meet hers, and then pulled it back a little.

"What were we?" He asked.

"Strangers." She tried to her best to stay serious but looking at the expression on his face, she couldn't help but laugh. The two were celebrating their two month anniversary as an official couple. They were having drinks at the bar they met at on their first date and then they were off to dinner.

Danny had just taken a sip of his drink when he spotted them over her shoulder. Don, Aidan and Lindsey had just entered the bar.

"Oh crap." He muttered under his breath. "You hungry? Come on, lets go eat." He grabbed his girlfriends hand and tried to pull her away.

"But we just got here." She tried to pull away; he pulled back. "Danny! What has gotten into you?" She followed his line of sight to the group of people at the door. "You know them?"

"Unfortunately. It's my team from work." He begrudgingly admitted.

"I thought you liked the people you worked with?" She questioned innocently. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I do like them, but tonight is our night and I don't want them to ruin it for us." Danny gave her the begging puppy dog eyes and the pouty lip.

"That's not fair." She leaned in and captured his stuck out lip with hers. He welcomed the attack and retaliated with his own.

"Ew, get a room, Danny." He regretting released from their lip lock to see Aidan standing close by.

"You're just jealous." He retorted.

"I don't know about her, but I sure am." Don now joined them. He held out his hand to Kate. "Don Flack."

"Kate Baker." She shook his hand and smiled. Danny sighed, seeing no other way out of this.

"Kate, these are my friends, Aidan Burns and Lindsey Monroe." He pointed each one out as he introduced them.

"It's nice to meet y'all. Danny talks 'bout y'all all the time." Kate said, her southern sweetness shining through.

"Same here… hey, why don't you guys come join us? We'd love to know more about our Danny's girl." Aidan invited.

"Actually, Kate and I-"

"Would love to join you. Thank you for offering." Kate accepted.

"Great, we'll go get a table." The others disappeared, leaving the couple alone again. Kate could clearly see that her boyfriend was not pleased with the situation.

"I'm sorry. There'll be other anniversaries." He still looked pretty pissed, so she leaned down and whispered in his ear. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." His face eased.

"I'm holding you to it." He said, holding her close again. She just smiled and gently kissed him again. Danny matched her kiss for kiss, never going any farther than she did.

"Hey lovebirds, come on." Don called them over. The two pulled away reluctantly. Kate rested her forehead on his.

"Later?"

"Later." He confirmed before taking her hand and leading her over to his group.

Not surprising in the least, Kate got along fabulously with the others, her and Aidan especially. That thrilled Danny because Aidan's opinion meant a lot to him. They had dated a long time ago but they just weren't meant to be in that kind of relationship. Suited much better as friends, they were incredibly close to one another. Aidan knew things about him that not even Danny's family knew and vise versa. So when Aidan gave Kate her approval he knew that he really had someone special. The girls had disappeared to the ladies room, leaving the guys all by themselves.

"You're a lucky man, Messer. With a girl like her, you'll be the envy of the policemen's ball." Don looked over at his friends. "You did ask her to go, didn't you?" Danny hesitated to answer. "You haven't asked her!"

"I hadn't even thought about it. Besides, I haven't asked a girl to a dance since high school." He defended.

"Dude, she's your girlfriend, not some high school cheerleader." Don couldn't believe how naive Danny was being.

"Well actually-"

"No, no actually. Either you ask her or I will." Flack declared admittedly. Danny glared at him.

"Oh alright, I'll ask Kate." Danny held up his hands in defense.

"Ask me what?" The girls had returned.

"Ask you if you were ready to go to dinner?" Danny stood and put his arm around her waist.

"Whenever you are baby." She shrugged. "It was nice meeting y'all." She said again as they left.

The chilly November air blasted the two as they left the bar. Danny pulled Kate close and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm as they walked.

"I really like your friends, especially Aidan and Lindsey. They're so sweet. They'd get along really great with Aby. You have to meet Aby's fiancé one of these days. I just know you two would get along great. You know what we should do, we should double date with them. Would that….." Kate stopped her rambling when she noticed Danny wasn't responding. "What's wrong sweetheart?" She looked up at him those big blue eyes that he had fallen in love with the first time they met. He stopped abruptly.

"I don't feel much like going out to eat. What do you say we go back to my place and order take-out?" She smiled.

"I'd say, lead on."


	6. Screwed

**Screwed**

A/N: I know it's a short chapter but it's just setting up future events.

'_Love is never worry free.'- Jon Buckingham, What if we fall in love._

"I'm totally screwed." Danny flopped down in the chair next to Don's desk after the morning huddle.

"What'd you do this time?"

"It's not what I did, it's what Mac's doing." Flack just looked at him. "He's going to the ball." Danny explained.

"Yeah so. He always goes. What's the problem?" The detective still didn't get it.

"Kate's going to the ball. With me." Danny exclaimed. Don thought for a moment.

"Why would Mac care if you have a girlfriend?" He asked finally.

"Kate knows Mac. She's like the daughter he never had." Don winced.

"Oh, you are screwed. He's going to kick your ass when he finds out." He actually felt sorry for his friend. The wrath of detective Mac Taylor was a hard on to suffer under. "What are you going to do?"

"What can I do? He's going to find out when we show up together. And it's the night before the ball, I can't cancel on Kate now. She's already got everything ready to go." Danny ran a hand over his over his face. "I guess I'll just have to face the consequences." He said, sounding a whole lot braver than he felt.


	7. Facing the music

**Facing the Music**

A/N: Danny's in for it now.

'_She loves you and you know that can't be bad.'- The Beatles, She Loves You. _

Kate smoothed her hands over the black silk. As much as she hated to admit it, Aby was right; the dress she had picked looked absolutely amazing on her. It was a black spaghetti strapped evening gown with a v-neck and silver lace accents on the bust. She gave herself a final once over in the mirror before leaving the bedroom.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked, giving a little spin for Aby.

"Can I say it?" Aby begged.

"Go ahead." Kate sighed, knowing exactly what was coming.

"I told you so." Aby smiled brightly. "You look great."

"Why thank you." Kate said with a little curtsey. A knock on the door signaled her date's arrival. Aby hurried off to answer the door while Kate went to fetch her purse and shawl.

"Well look at you. Don't you clean up nice?" Aby commented as she let Danny in.

"I hate wearing a tux." He grumbled. "Where's my girlfriend?"

"Right here." Kate appeared in all her glory. Danny's jaw dropped.

"Wow." He was totally stunned. "You look….." He stumbled over his words, trying to find the right ones. Finally, he just took her close to him and kissed her.

"That good huh?" Kate raised an eyebrow and laughed as he kissed her again. Aby shook her head and rolled her eyes. New love was so, sappy, for someone like her to watch. But they were an adorable couple.

"Alright you two, get out of here." She barked as she shooed them out the door. "And get a room!" She yelled down the hall at them before they disappeared into the elevator. Once in there, Danny ordered Kate to close her eyes.

"Can I open 'em yet?" She begged as he led her outside.

"Go ahead." It was her turn to be stunned.

"Oh Danny." She shook her head in disbelief. Sitting outside her apartment building was a stretch limo.

"What, did you think we would take the subway?" He asked as he held open the door for her.

"You're hopeless boy, completely hopeless." Kate caressed his cheek before sliding in.

"Only when it comes to you."

The grand ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was dressed up to the nines along with its attendants. Kate stayed close to Danny. She felt completely out of place among all these people. Unfortunately, Danny was even less comfortable with being there than she was. Mac was going to be so pissed when he found out.

Danny scanned the room, looking for any signs of his boss. He found a friend instead.

"Stella!" He called out to her.

"Hey Danny. Who's this?" she pointed to the Kate.

"This, is my girlfriend, Katharyne." Stella smiled.

"You were right, she is gorgeous." Kate had the good grace to blush. "Well, come on. I'll take you over to the others." The couple followed her to a table towards the back of the room. Already seated around the table were Aidan, Lindsey, Don and Hawkes.

"Kate, you remember the girls and Flack from the other night?" she nodded. "And this is Sheldon Hawkes, our M.E. turned CSI." Danny introduced the two as he pulled out a chair for her. "Where's Mac?" Danny asked cautiously. He hoped that by some chance, he had gotten called away on a case and wouldn't be able to attend.

"He's out smoozing with the top dogs?" Stella informed crushing Danny's hopes.

"Mac? Smoozing? Are we talking about the same guy?" Aidan asked. Stella nodded in confirmation. "That's so unlike him."

"I know. But if it means more funding for the lab and keeps us in good standings with the chief of police, Mac will bite the bullet and kiss ass with the best of them." She explained.

"That doesn't seem right though. I mean, shouldn't our funding depend on things like our solve rate not it Mac sucks up to the right people?"

"It's New York, Lindsey. Nothing is what is seems." Stella said with a toss of her hands.

"Well here comes the man himself." Hawkes announced. Danny's head whipped around to see him coming straight at him.

"Do you want to dance?" He asked Kate urgently.

"Ah, sure." She agreed hesitantly. Danny stood and was about to hurry off with her but it was too late. They'd been spotted.

"Well this is a nice surprise. I didn't expect to see you here tonight, Katharyne." Mac commented as he stood next to Danny.

"Danny didn't tell you I was coming with him?" Kate questioned as she looked up at her friend.

"No. He, uh, forgot to mention it." Mac replied smiling. That's when Danny knew it. He was done for.

Mac watched the couple slow dance on the dance floor. He watched the way Danny held her close to him. Protecting her and caressing her at the same time. He watched Kate gaze up at him with total love and admiration. Something deep inside him erupted when he saw the two kiss.

"I don't like it, Stella." He confessed to his friend, who was sitting next to him.

"Don't like what?"

"Danny and Kate. I don't like her being with him." He repeated.

"Why? He seems to really love her." Stella said, not really liking where this was going.

"He's just not good for her." Mac insisted.

"Who are you to decide what's 'good for her' or not? Katharyne's a big girl. She can make her own decisions. And as far as Danny's concerned, I don't think you have a right to judge his love life. What he does in his personal life is none of your business. Even if it does involve someone you know. You can't tell them what to do and you can't break them up. I know you don't like it, you don't have to. But you do have to accept the fact that they are together and seem to be happy. And remember, she choose him. She didn't have to give him her number and she didn't have to say yes when he asked her out. But she did. And you can't change that." Stella stopped her preaching and looked at Mac. She tried to read his expression but it was indecisive. In his head, Mac made his decision. He and Danny were going to have a little chat.

While Mac and Stella were talking, Danny and Kate slipped outside to the empty balcony. The night air was cold and she shivered. She'd left her shawl inside. A pair of big warm arms wrapped around her along with a suit jacket.

"Thank you." She whispered. He kissed the back of her neck.

"It's not what you think." He said, his breath warm against her skin. She signaled him to continue with a little 'hmm'. "I wasn't trying to hide you. I was just scared to tell Mac because I knew he'd be mad. Forgive me?" Kate turned around to face him.

"I was never mad. Just, confused. You shouldn't be scared of Mac. When I said he was protective, I didn't mean he was going to kill you for dating me. And besides, he's not my dad. And even if he was, I wouldn't care. I love you, Danny. And nothing, not Mac, not family, not friends. Nothing, could change that." She held his face with her hands and pulled him down for a long, slow kiss to show him that what she said was true.

"I love you too." After he said it, Danny realized it was the first time he'd ever said that to a woman.


	8. Knowing me, knowing you

**Knowing you, knowing me**

A/N: I know it's been awhile but writers block and real life just keep getting in the way. I hope that I finish this story before I go to Hawaii but, some how I just don't see it happening.

'_Understand it takes a woman to make a stronger man.'- Public Enemy,_ _Revolutionary Generation. _

"Danny, my office." Mac summoned the younger man early the following Monday morning. Danny had expected as much. He calmly set his things down and took the long walk.

"Dead man walking." Danny whipped his head around to see Aidan and Lindsey standing next to each other in the hall. Lindsey smiled innocently while Aidan just shrugged and threw her hands up. He glared at both of them as he continued to his destination. Mac was already seated behind his desk when Danny entered.

"Sit down." He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. Danny remained standing. "I'm just going to get right to the point here. I don't like the fact that you and Katharyne are together." Even though Danny knew it was coming, it still hurt to hear. "Katharyne is very special to me and I don't want to ever see her get hurt."

"And you think I'd hurt her." Danny stated sadly.

"I don't think you'd mean to do it intentionally but, I know how you are sometimes. And this job is very demanding of us. It puts a strain on a relationship." Mac explained, trying to sound as nice as possible. It didn't work. Danny sat quiet and collected his thoughts before speaking again.

"I love Kate. Period, end of discussion. And there's nothing you could ever say or do could change that fact. I care more about her than you do because I know that leaving her would crush her. So, I guess you don't know me." And with that, Danny turned and walked out, leaving Mac speechless.


	9. Matters of the Heart

**Matters of the Heart**

A/N: Well, things are looking hopeful. I think I just might pull this thing off before I leave. Oh, and Danny's plan something, I'd find a safe place to hide.

'_The answers we find are never what we had in mind.'- Nine Days, If I am._

As time passed, things became even more strained between Mac and Danny. The longer he stayed with Kate, the more Mac hated it. Work was conducted in a civilized manner but the friendship between them was dying rapidly.

The others felt the strain as well. Stella was as pissed as she could be at Mac. After all she had said, he completely disregarded her and deliberately went behind her back to confront and crush the man who had at one time looked up to him.

Aidan was on Danny's side as well. She saw how hurt he had been by Mac's words and she didn't think it was fair. When he found the one woman that he could actually find himself truly loving, he was told that she was too good for him.

December had arrived along with the department Christmas party. Refusing to be driven away, Danny showed up with Kate in tow.

"I'm going to go say hi to Mac." Kate informed as she handed Danny her coat.

"Go right ahead." He replied as he waved her on. She looked at him oddly.

"Aren't you coming with me?" He shook his head. "Why not?" His faced turned to stone as he spoke.

"Because I'm someone he used to know."

br

Stella watched the two men interact. Mac's face remained impassive and Danny wouldn't even look him in the eye. They stayed as far away from each other as possible and didn't speak to each other because they had nothing to say. But Stella was far from speechless.

"What do you think you're doing?" She demanded as she stood before her close friend.

"I'm eating a cookie." He replied. She just looked at him.

"That wasn't what I was talking about, Captain Obvious. I was talking about Danny."

"I don't want to talk about it, Stella." He stated firmly. She didn't listen.

"Are you blind? Do you not see how bad you hurt Danny? You flat out told the boy that he's not good enough for the only girl he's even loved. How sucky is that, that the one guys' approval Danny craves most, knocks him down with a total low blow to his self esteem." Mac sighed heavily.

"I wasn't just protecting her. I was protecting him too." He admitted. Stella looked at him in confusion.

"Protecting him from what?"

"From hurting like I do. I knew the moment I saw them dancing together. They have the kind of love that Claire and I had. To lose that is a pain that never dies. And I thought I could save him from it. But I can't and as much as I hate to admit it, I think his love is stronger than mine because, he's not afraid to love her and be loved in return." Mac explained, exposing his heart in the process.

"You're a tough one to figure out, Mac Taylor." Stella gave him a teary eyed smile.

"No, I'm a simple man. It's matters of the heart that are hard to explain."

br

Back on the other side of the room, another matter of the heart needed to be explained. Kate was trying to figure out why her boyfriend was in such a sullen mood. Danny was no help, of course. He just brushed it off. But when he and the other guys left the table, she saw her chances. Aidan would know what was up.

"Did anything happen at work recently that would cause Danny to be so distant?" Aidan looked at Lindsey before answering.

"Well, Mac and he kind of got in a fight." She answered hesitantly.

"A fight? About what?"

"About you." Kate felt like she had just been sucker punched. They fought about her?

"What about me?" She pushed on, though Aidan wished she wouldn't. Danny hadn't wanted Kate to know about the whole situation.

"Mac doesn't give his blessing to your relationship and really put Danny down. They haven't been the same since. But please don't tell Danny that I told you. He'd have my head if he knew." Kate nodded numbly but she really wasn't listening. All she could think about was that another relationship was ruined because of her. She had to make things right between them, even if it meant removing herself from the picture.

br

"Did you get it?" Don asked when they were out of ear shot of the girls.

"Yeah, I got it." Danny confirmed.

"Well, when are you going to go through with it?" Hawkes asked.

"It's all going down Christmas Day. Here's my plan……."


	10. According to plan

**According to plan**

A/N: Now it's time for the hard time angst to start. You all knew this part was coming, didn't you? But I bet you didn't think it would happen like this.

'_When he popped the question he could see the teardrops fill her eyes. She said I knew this was coming, and I'm sorry but I hope you realize'- George Strait, You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody._

Danny was feeling quite smug. Everything was going according to his plan. Kate and he had spent the whole day together. They went ice skating in central park. They went for a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park and to finish the day, they were going out to dinner and then back to his apartment to exchange gifts.

"You are a hopeless romantic, Daniel Messer." She smiled lightly and he just melted. Reaching across the table, he took her hand and held it in his.

"There is something about you and I don't know what it is, but I can't resist it. You are so completely different from any woman I've ever been with and I just can't explain in words the way you make me feel. I love you, Katharyne Baker. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. "Will you marry me?" Kate's eyes widened as he opened the box. The ring was a stunning princess cut diamond in a beautiful platinum setting. She pulled back her hands and covered her mouth with them.

"Oh Danny." She breathed as she started to cry. "I should have known this was coming." Danny looked at her in concern.

"Kate, are you okay? What's wrong?" He tried to console her but it only served to upset her more. "Come on, talk to me."

"I can't." She sobbed.

"What? You can't talk to me?" He didn't understand. He thought she'd be happy about this.

"No, I can't marry you." Kate pushed back her chair and fled before he even knew she was gone.

"Kate wait!" He called out as he ran after her. He caught her outside just as the snow began to fall. "Why can't you marry me? Hah, why?" He held her by both arms as he fought back his own tears.

"I just can't." She tried to break away but he held on tight.

"No! I want to know why. I deserve to know." He wasn't mad at her. He was heart broken.

"I'm not good for you, Danny. I want to give you all of me but I can't, I just can't." Kate explained desperately. He tried to retort but she cut him off. "I have to go. I can't be around you knowing what we had and what we could have been." She broke out of his grasp and hurried away, leaving him standing in the cold.


	11. You did what!

**You did what!**

A/N: as if Danny didn't feel bad enough, now he has to deal with everyone else's opinion. Poor guy.

'_Take good hold of instruction and don't let her go. Keep her for she is your life.'- The Bible._

Danny's heart was heavy. Kate's leaving had shocked him to the core. He went into work the next morning, dazed and depressed. Don noticed this immediately.

"Hey Danny, What's up?" Flack looked at his miserable friend in concern. He was going to ask Kate to marry him last night. He should be happy.

"Kate's gone." Danny said solemnly.

"Gone? What do you mean gone? Is she dead? Did someone take her?" Danny stopped his rambling before he could go on.

"I let her go." Don's eyes flew open.

"You let her go! How could you be such a dumb ass!" Danny shrugged.

"Well, if you love someone, let 'em go, right?"

"Wrong!" Don shook his head. "I can't believe you would do something so stupid. Even I wouldn't do that." He said, pointing to himself as he started to pace.

"Hey! You think I don't know that I just let the greatest woman I've ever known walk out of my life? Huh? You think I don't know that I will never love anyone as much as I love Kate? And that without her, my life means nothing? You think I don't know that? Cause I do. I spent all night think about and I'll keep thinking about it until the day I die." Danny wiped away angry tears from his cheeks. Flack put his hands on both sides of his head.

"Where is the Danny Messer I know and love? Where's the guy who would not give up no matter what the consequence, especially when it something he was really passionate about. Kate is the best thing that ever happened to you. You cannot let her get away." Don let go and smacked the back of his friends head. "Why are you still standing here, go!" Danny just looked at his bewildered friend as Stella entered.

"What's going on?" She asked, noticing the serious mood.

"Genius over here let Kate go." Don pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

"What? Why?"

"I had to." Danny hung his head. Stella walked over to him, removed his glasses, slapped him hard and then replaced his glasses.

"How could you be so stupid? Even he wouldn't do that!" She pointed at Flack. "Kate's the best thing that's ever happened to you."

"So I've been told." He mumbled as he rubbed his face.

"Then why are you still here flapping your gums, go get her." She exclaimed.

"What am I supposed to do? Run over to her apartment and beg her to take me back?"

"YES!" They yelled at the same time.

"I can make it an order, Danny." They all turned to see Mac standing in the doorway. "I know what it's like to be in love like that. It only happens once in a lifetime. Don't let it pass you by because of me or anyone." Danny just stared at Mac for a moment as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Then, with his mind made up, he ran past all of them and out of the building.

"Atta boy Danny. Go get her." Stella cheered as she watched him leave.

"You think this story's going to have a happy ending?" Flack asked. Mac smiled.

"I think they'll get their happily ever after."


	12. Happily Ever After

**Happily Ever After**

A/N: Well, this is it. The End. I hope you've enjoyed this wild ride that our two crazy lovebirds have been on. Don't worry, there's more to come. We've only just begun.

_It wasn't the stars in the sky  
That got to me that night  
Or the music that we were dancing to  
It wasn't the moon up above  
That had me falling in love  
It was more than all those things alone could do  
It was you_

_-Trace Adkins, It Was You._

Fate has a funny way of working. Six months ago, Danny had been a confirmed bachelor and was content with it. In walks this blue eyed blonde and his whole world upside down.

And now, he was standing outside her door, pouring his heart out to her, begging her to take him back.

"Kate! Please, just talk to me. I don't want things to be like this. I want to be with you. I want to wake up every morning to your beautiful face and know that you're legally required to be in my bed!" Danny rested his forehead against the door as his hope slowly poured out of him. "Katharyne, I love you and I'll always love you. I don't care if you're broken or bent or bruised. That doesn't matter to me. Because I'm a disaster and you're a wreck. But that's what makes our love so strong." He was just about to give up when the door opened and…..Aby appeared.

"She's not here, Danny." She informed him sadly. His face fell. She was gone, really gone.

"Oh God. Why didn't I listen to her when she said she was leaving? I really am an idiot. I've lost her for good now. I might as well die now and get the pain over with-"Aby cut Danny off before he could get anymore dramatic.

"She's not here because she went to find you. She spent all last night crying about how much she loved you and how she thought she was doing the right thing. Then this morning she woke up and told me what a huge mistake she had made and that she had to find you and make things right." Danny couldn't move. He just sat there and stared at Aby, not able to believe a word she said.

"She went to find me? She wants me back?" Aby nodded. "I got to go find her." He took off like a bat out of hell.

"Try the lab! That's where she was going to try first!" She called out after him. He gave her a thumbs up as he got onto the elevator. "Lord, don't let him be too late."

br

Kate was practically hysterical. She had just finished talking with Mac and now she felt like a total jerk. She broke Danny's heart when there was really no reason to. She had to get over this stupid fear of herself or she was never going to find true happiness.

'_**Oh quit trying to fool yourself, Katharyne. You had true happiness and you let it go.'**_

As the elevator went down so did her soul. She had lost Danny for good. Even if she did find him again, there was no reason why he should take her back. The elevator chimed her arrival on the ground floor and she trudged out as the door opened.

"**_Kate!...Kate!" _**Great, now her mind was playing tricks on her. "Kate!" Wait a minute, that wasn't her mind……..that was Danny. She lifted her head up and saw him standing there, calling her. Her heart soared as she ran as fast as she could to him and jumped into his arms, knocking them both down.

"Oh Danny, I'm so sorry. I love you too, I really do. And all that stuff about me not being good for you, that was just the fear talking. I love you Danny and I want to spend the rest of my life with you too." She rambled on as he sat pinned to the ground by her. He just looked up at her with the most dazed smile.

"You really mean it, Kate? You really want to be with me, as my wife?"

"I want to be with you as your wife so much it hurts." She put her hands on the sides of his face and kissed him breathless.


End file.
